


Someone I Used to Know

by BeccaAnne814



Series: Steve Rogers x Reader Oneshots [4]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-06 10:10:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14639652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeccaAnne814/pseuds/BeccaAnne814
Summary: Steve broke things off with you before going on the run after the fiasco with the Sokovia Accords. But now that he's back, is there still a future for the two of you?  Based on Adele'sWhen We Were Young.





	Someone I Used to Know

**Author's Note:**

  * For [avengerofyourheart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/avengerofyourheart/gifts).



> _Author's Note: I recognize that Marvel has made a decision, but given that it's a stupid-ass decision, I've elected to ignore it. That being said, this story does contain some **Infinity War spoilers**. However, in my story, the ending of Infinity War never happened and we're moving right along with the way things should've played out. The best thing about fanfiction is that we can change the plot to suit our needs, so enjoy!_

_Spring 2017_

"I can't believe you and Tony are finally making it official," YN said as she showed Pepper to a table in the corner of her studio. She'd laid out a plate of scones and an antique tea set she'd picked up at a flea market one weekend in Soho next to a stack of her portfolios for the elegant CEO of Stark Industries to peruse.

"I was a little shocked myself," Pepper admitted as she nibbled at one of the scones.

YN looked at her in disbelief. "Really? I knew from the moment I met the two of you that you'd end up getting married someday." She paused for a moment as she began to pour the tea. "I wasn't the least bit shocked that he called a press conference to announce it to the world, though."

"Well," Pepper began, her eyes growing wide. "That wasn't the actual reason we called the press conference."

YN was intrigued as she leaned forward in her seat and rested her chin on her hands. "Do tell."

Pepper took a breath and gave her a long look. "You don't know any of this. . ."

"Not a word from me" YN interrupted before motioning for Pepper to continue.

"Tony called the press conference to announce a new member of the Avengers, but the kid decided it was too much for him, so he backed out at the last second. Happy pulled the ring from his pocket and then the next thing I knew, Tony was announcing our engagement."

YN's smile wavered a bit as she struggled to comprehend what Pepper was saying. "Wait a minute. The UN was okay with letting a kid become a part of the Avengers? Did they make his mom sign a permission slip?"

Pepper instantly realized her mistake as she closed her eyes and grimaced. "I'm sorry, YN. I wasn't even thinking. . ."

YN brushed away Pepper's misgivings. "It's okay. It's not your fault."

"Have you heard from him since. . .?" she let her sentence trail off, not really sure how to ask someone if they'd heard from their boyfriend since he'd become a wanted criminal.

"I'm not saying that I have," YN hedged, stressing her words carefully so the other woman would understand her meaning. "But if I had, it would have been long enough for him to tell me that he didn't want me to get caught up in his mess and that I should move on and forget him."

Pepper reached out and laid a hand over YN's. "I'm so sorry. I hate that the Accords tore the two of you apart."

"The Accords tore everything apart," YN said with a wistful smile before shaking her head and grabbing a portfolio. "Anyway, you're here to talk about your wedding. I've got a few different examples of weddings I've shot in the past so you can get an idea of what style you'd prefer me to shoot for you and Tony."

Pepper flipped open the first book and smiled at the whimsical photograph of a flower girl peeking out from beneath the skirts of the bride before looking back at YN. "I'm not sure if I've told you how much I appreciate you doing this for us, especially with how things ended with Tony and Steve."

"Tony and Steve will have to sort out their own issues eventually," YN said with a shrug. "As for you and me, we're good. I'm just glad you thought of me when you were looking for a photographer."

 

_Early Spring 2018_

__

__

_Tony Stark Missing_ , the headline across the TV screen read. YN put down her camera and stared in horror as the news anchor began reporting on the mysterious spaceship that had appeared in New York that morning. She'd been in her studio all day working on creating prints for the wedding she'd shot the weekend before and had just heard about the latest alien invasion in New York City. As she stared in disbelief, she realized that she probably wouldn't be shooting Tony and Pepper's wedding in a few weeks after all.

Her next thought was of Steve. Was he missing as well, and if he was, would anyone other than her really care? The world had almost forgotten about Captain America in the two years following the announcement that he was a fugitive from justice. She knew he wasn't the type to give up doing what was needed to keep the world safe, so there was no doubt in her mind that he would be involved in this newest attack somehow. Offering up a silent prayer that he would make it out alive, she grabbed the TV remote with shaking hands and switched it off. She would bury herself in her work, just like she'd been doing since the love of her life had told her she was better off without him.

 

_Late Spring 2018_

YN followed the directions the security guard had given her and parked her car in the back of the lavish estate where Tony and Pepper would soon be married. Grabbing her equipment bag from the back of her car she turned to her assistant. "I'm going to start with the groomsmen, why don't you find the bride and scope out some possible shots for me. Pepper is going for elegant, but understated."

"Got it," her assistant said as she grabbed her own bag of equipment and headed toward the caterer's entrance.

YN took a moment to walk around the corner of the building to look at the back lawn where the ceremony would take place. Tony had obviously spared no expense when it came to giving Pepper the wedding of her dreams. There were hundreds of chairs draped in white silk arcing around a large gazebo with more flowers than YN had ever seen before. Pulling her camera from her bag, she slipped the strap over her head and snapped a few pictures to test the lighting. Pleased with the result, she turned and headed inside to find Tony.

She couldn't help but be impressed at the luxurious estate Tony had acquired – she was pretty sure he'd probably just bought the place instead of renting it. She was no expert, but she was wiling to bet that all of the furnishings were actual antiques and the artwork on the walls weren't replicas, but original works from some of the most famous artists in the world.

She turned a corner and heard the deep laughter that could only come from a large group of men. A smile played at the corners of her lips as she thought about seeing some of her old friends today. Pepper had given her a list of groomsmen over a year ago, but after the most recent battle, she wasn't sure who would actually be here.

The door was slightly ajar, so she rapped lightly and pushed it open a little further. The guys were all standing around Tony, their ties lying loose around their necks and their tuxedo jackets hanging unbuttoned. They all had a glass of what she assumed was whisky raised in a toast as Rhodey made a speech. Not wanting to disturb them, but wanting a shot of this moment, she slipped into the room and raised her camera.

She'd turned off the shutter sound, so there was no tell-tale click to alert the men to her presence and she was able to get off a half-dozen shots without them noticing. They continued to laugh and tease Tony, but her attention was focused on the view-screen as she flipped through the shots to make sure she was happy with the quality. As her eyes flitted over the faces of the men in the photo, she saw one that had her breath catching in her throat. It couldn't be him, could it?

Her gaze shot from the camera to the group of men standing a few feet away from her. She hadn't been sure when she'd seen the bearded face on the small screen of her camera, but there was no denying the intense blue gaze that was boring into her from across the room. It had been two years since she'd seen him, and the toil of those years showed in his haggard appearance, but he was still the most beautiful man she'd ever seen.

"YN," Tony called out as he walked over to greet her. "You want a glass of whisky?"

She smiled at Tony and thought a stiff shot wouldn't hurt, but if she was going to make it through this day, she needed all her wits about her. Why hadn't anyone told her that he was going to be here? Surely, Pepper had known. Had Pepper wanted to surprise her, or had she just been so caught up in the last minute details that she'd just simply forgotten to give her a heads up? Either way, they were both here, and they both had to put their personal feelings aside to make sure that Tony and Pepper had a perfect day.

"I'm good for now," she told him, surprised that her voice hadn't cracked. "I'll wait until I'm finished and have a glass of champagne to celebrate."

"That's probably a good idea," he agreed with a nod. "Can't have the wedding photographer getting tipsy before the wedding." He turned back and gestured to the group of men with his glass. "You remember everyone, don't you?"

She looked around at the well known faces smiling back at her, but there were two that she didn't recognize. One was a tall, blond man who seemed familiar to her, but she couldn't figure out where she knew him from. The other was a kid who looked to be around fifteen or sixteen who kept glancing down at the contents of his glass.

One by one, her old friends took turns giving her a hug and telling her how glad they were to see her. She'd been expecting Happy, Rhodey, and Clint, but Steve, Sam, and Bruce were definitely a shock. Steve had opted to stand back and let the others say their hellos and YN wasn't sure if she should be happy or offended.

When the blond stranger came over and took both of her hands in his, she was a bit hesitant until he began to speak. "Ms. YLN, it is a pleasure to see you again."

"Vision?" she asked in disbelief.

"I apologize," he said with a chagrined expression on his face before his features shifted back to the familiar purple and gold she'd been used to seeing. "I've developed this. . .disguise, I guess you would say. . .to help me blend in."

"You picked an extremely handsome one," she told him with a smile as his features changed back into the blond.

Not ready to face Steve just yet, she turned to the kid with a questioning look. "You're not old enough to drink that, are you?"

His eyes grew wide as he glanced down at the drink in his hand and then back at her. "No, ma'am. I'm only seventeen. This is apple juice, by the way. Mr. Stark said I could have a whisky, but Mr. Wilson said I needed to stick to the juice boxes. Colonel Rhodes put it in a glass for me, though, so that was nice."

Listening to the kid ramble charmed her more than it should have, but she was still confused as to who he was and why he was a part of Tony's entourage. She felt like she should know the answer to this question, but before she could put her finger on it, Tony interrupted her train of thought.

"This is Peter," he said as he laid a hand on the kid's shoulder. In that instant, YN could see the bond between them and it was then that realization finally dawned.

"Oh, you're Spider-Man," she said, causing the boy to start stuttering as his face turned bright red.

"No I'm not," he immediately denied. "Right, Mr. Stark?"

"It's okay, kid," Steve said as he finally made his way across the room. "You can trust YN."

"Exactly," Tony agreed looking from YN to Steve quizzically. "Steve is YN's boy-toy, although for some reason, they're acting like strangers right now. What don't I know?"

YN rolled her eyes at Tony's description of her former relationship. She started to say something, but before she could answer his question, Steve spoke up.

"YN and I aren't together anymore, Tony."

Tony pointed to her and Steve before turning back to stare at Vision in disbelief. "How is it that you and Wanda managed regular booty calls the past two years, but Steve and YN couldn't?"

She felt like the floor was about to give out from under her. It had been one thing to think that Steve was sacrificing their relationship to keep her safe, but now that she knew Vision had been sneaking off to see Wanda, she wondered if Steve had really been concerned about her, or if he just hadn't wanted to be bothered with keeping up a long-distance relationship.

"It's in the past, Tony," YN answered quickly before plastering a fake smile on her face and changing the subject. "Now, I need to get some half-way decent shots of you misfits or Pepper will be pissed."

Her reminder of why they were all here had the guys straightening up with looks of fear in their eyes. They may have faced some of the scariest beings in the galaxy a few months ago, but Pepper Potts was still the most formidable woman they'd ever met. Within a few minutes, the awkward atmosphere had abated and she was able to get some shots she knew Pepper would love. It was still a shock to see Steve's face in her frame, especially with the longer hair and the beard, but she thought she'd handled it well.

She'd finished up with the guys and left them to sit around and tell war stories and drink more whisky while the ladies finished their hair and make-up. Her assistant, Gina, would take a few shots of the bridesmaids beauty regimens, but since they weren't crucial, YN let her take the lead to gain some experience.

She knocked on the door and waited for one of the bridesmaids to open it, just in case someone was in the process of changing. When she saw Nat's smiling face on the other side of the door, she let out a happy noise and pulled the stoic, former assassin into a hug.

"I guess you've heard the news," Nat said as she returned the hug, gracefully balancing the mimosa in her hand.

"Somewhat," she hedged as she pulled away and began surveying the rest of the room. "The guys weren't that forthcoming with details, but I figured I'd be better off getting the real story here."

Pepper walked around the corner in a pair of black leggings and a white button down shirt, her hair up in rollers. The look on her face was one of chagrin. "YN, I am so sorry. I thought for sure you'd come here first and I wanted to tell you face to face. . ."

"It's okay," YN interrupted with a forced smile on her face. It wasn't okay, but she was a professional and it was her job to make sure that the newlyweds had the best day possible – at least where she was concerned. "It was a shock, to say the least, but it's not like things ended badly between us. They just ended."

Nat started to say something, but changed her mind as her mouth snapped shut. YN eyed her warily before turning her gaze toward Wanda. The younger woman had always been easier to intimidate, but YN was shocked to see an aura of maturity surrounding her and she knew she wasn't going to get anything out of her anytime soon.

"I think we can all agree that it's awkward," YN said with a shrug. "I'm just glad to see everyone again, and that everyone is getting along." She was surprised to realize that this was actually true. It had been a long time since she, Pepper, Nat, Wanda, and Maria had been in the same room together.

Turning to Wanda, she gave her a wink. "I saw Vision's new party trick. Nice."

Wanda's face turned a few shades of red as she bashfully looked down at the floor. "He needed a disguise." When her response was met with a chorus of groans, she shook her head and elaborated. "Okay, okay. I love the new look. I never thought I'd have a thing for blonds, but he is devilishly handsome, isn't he?"

For the next hour, the women gave her a play-by-play rundown of what had been going on for the past two years, and most of the highlights of the latest battle that brought them all together again. They were all pretty vague when it came to information about Steve, but YN wasn't surprised they were shielding her from that particular topic.

She and Gina finally left the ladies and made their way back down to the lawn where the ceremony would take place. There were a few final shots she wanted before the wedding officially began and she wanted to get them taken before the guests started showing up in full force. YN gave Gina a quick rundown of the shots she wanted her to take while she focused her attention on the gazebo with its plethora of fragrant flowers. She always liked to take a few macro shots of the arrangements since they turned out so beautiful and added a bit of artistic flare to the portfolio she would prepare for the couple after the wedding.

As she quickly looked over the array of shots she'd just taken, a shadow fell over her. Looking up, she was surprised to see Steve standing in front of her with an unreadable expression on his face. The late evening sun was starting to set behind him and the light shining through the long, thick locks of hair gave him an ethereal glow.

"Don't move," she ordered as she readjusted the settings on her camera and snapped a few shots. When she was sure she'd captured the moment perfectly, she looked back up at him with an apologetic smile. "Sorry. You needed something?"

"I was ho. . ." he began.

"Hey, Rogers," Tony called, interrupting Steve's words. "I need you over here buddy. It's almost showtime. You can flirt with the help later."

She gave Tony a dirty look which earned her a flirtatious wink and an eyebrow wiggle. Focusing on Steve again, she said, "Duty calls."

With a sigh, he turned and walked over to where the groomsmen were lining up behind the minister to make their grand entrance. She knew she shouldn't stare, but it wasn't too often she got a chance to see that phenomenal rear end decked out in a well-tailored tuxedo and she wasn't about to pass up a golden opportunity to ogle.

Knowing she had a job to do, she focused her attention on her work and pushed all thoughts of Steve to the back of her mind. At least she tried to do that. It was kind of hard when he seemed to always be in the viewfinder of her camera. She wasn't sure if she was unknowingly searching out his face, or if he really did seem to turn up wherever she happened to be shooting, but constantly seeing his handsome face was starting to get to her. She hadn't been sure of the new look when she'd first seen him, but now she realized that the longer hair and the beard suited him more than the All-American clean-cut look ever had.

The ceremony had gone off without a hitch and the guests were ushered back into the sprawling estate for the reception. The grand ballroom had an entire wall of windows that allowed the guests to view the impressive lake as they nibbled on hor d'oeuvres and drank most of Tony's liquor. There were a few doors leading out to the terrace for the guests that wanted a moment of privacy, or to grab a breath of fresh air. She was tempted to hide out there for a while to process the myriad of emotions that were coursing through her system since her surprise reunion with her ex, but she stamped down the urge and began to mingle with the crowd as she took some candid shots.

She knew she shouldn't have been surprised that the reception was just like any other party Tony threw, but it had been so long since she'd been at one, she forgotten how loud and crazy they were. In the past, she'd had Steve beside her as a buffer, but not tonight. Instead, she'd had to watch as he'd danced with one of Pepper's friends from college. She wasn't sure if they'd only been paired up because of their order in the wedding party or if she was actually his date. Normally after the first dance, the couple would move on to their actual dates, but this woman seemed to be attached to Steve's hip. He was too polite to let it show if he was annoyed with her advances, but YN liked to think that she recognized his subtle signs of agitation. But maybe it was just wishful thinking.

"You're staring," an unfamiliar voice said from behind her.

She turned around in shock to find a somewhat robust Asian man watching her as he ate from a heaping plate of food he held in his hand. "I'm sorry?"

"You're staring," he repeated, nodding toward Steve and the petite blonde friend of Pepper's. "He's a good looking man, but there are lots of good looking men here tonight, so I'm guessing there's a story."

She eyed him warily, but she couldn't place him. "I don't think we've met before. I'm YN, the wedding photographer."

He paused eating long enough to scratch his chin and give her an appraising look. "You're more than that, but you don't want to admit it. I'm Wong, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Wong," she said flatly, trying to figure out a way to get away from the intrusive man.

"Why don't you go talk to him?"

"Because I have a job to do, and that really doesn't involve me casually chatting with the guests." She hoped her response not only answered his question, but also let him know that she wanted this conversation to be over. He apparently didn't get the hint.

"There's history between the two of you," he said with a sage look on his face.

She narrowed her eyes as she reevaluated her opinion of him. Was he truly that intuitive, or was she that much of an open book? "How do you know that?"

He cocked his head and gave her a wide-eyed stare. "Because I'm a Master of the Mystic Arts and I see all and know all."

Her mouth fell open. "Really?"

"No," he said, laughing so hard he almost overturned his plate of food. With a start, he lunged forward to keep his snacks balanced and gave her a wink. "Tony told me all about you and Steve the other day."

"Of course he did," she muttered under her breath angrily. "Couldn't be bothered with giving me a heads up, though. Probably wanted to watch me squirm, the jerk."

"I still think you should go talk to him," Wong said before turning and heading back toward the buffet table.

"But what if he doesn't want to talk to me?" she whispered to his retreating back before turning back to look for Steve again. Disappointment washed over her as she realized that he'd been swallowed up by the crowd. Maybe it was for the best that he wasn't continually in her line of sight. She hadn't been lying when she'd told Wong that she had a job to do, and right now she really wasn't earning her paycheck. She just hoped that Gina was getting some good shots of the couples on the dance floor.

By the time Tony and Pepper said their final goodbyes for the night, YN was exhausted. Giving in to the temptation from earlier, she slipped out one of the terrace doors and found an empty bench overlooking the lake. The party was still raging behind her, even though the guests of honor had left, but she needed a breather before she headed back in to find Gina so they could pack up and leave themselves.

She felt, more than heard him walk up behind her. Maybe her body was becoming more attuned to him again, or maybe she'd just hoped that he would seek her out. Either way, she wasn't shocked to find him standing behind her with his hands hidden behind him.

He pulled a single white rose from behind his back. "Happy birthday, YN."

Her gaze had been focused on the rose, but when he'd spoken, her eyes had shot straight to his face. "How did you. . ."

"Remember?" he finished for her with a sad smile. "I never forgot."

Hope swelled within her, but she tamped it down as she took the rose and stood to face him. She brought the flower to her nose to inhale its sweet perfume before meeting his gaze again. All of the doubts she'd been harboring since she'd seen him that morning flooded her system and before she knew it, she was asking him the question that had been in the back of her mind all day. "Why? If Wanda and Vision could make it work, why couldn't we?"

Steve closed his eyes and took a deep breath before giving her a pleading look. "It was different for them – Vision was able to turn off his tracking beacon, and Wanda can literally make people see what she wants them to see. Both Secretary Ross and Agent Ross had you under constant surveillance. I was almost apprehended the day I came to see you after I broke the team out of the Raft."

"They were watching me?" she asked in a horrified whisper. "As in bugging my apartment and listening in on my phone calls? Were they following me?"

Steve nodded his head with a sad smile. "I know I probably shouldn't have told you, but I needed them to believe that you and I were truly over so they would eventually leave you alone."

A sinking feeling settled into her stomach as she looked down at her phone laying on the bench beside her camera. "Are they still watching me?"

"No," he quickly assured her. "When we renegotiated the terms of the Accords, I made sure they knew you were off limits."

She knew she should have been grateful that he'd thought of her, but she couldn't help but wonder if he'd done it because she was no longer a part of his life, and would never be again. She'd done a decent job of moving on, or at least she'd told herself that she had. A friend had set up her on a few dates, but after dating Steve Rogers, no mere mortal would ever compare. Now that he was back, she wasn't sure what would happen, or even if she wanted anything to happen. Unsure of what to say, she quietly nodded as an awkward silence settled in around them.

Steve rubbed the back of his neck and he studied her. "I know I have no right to ask, or even to expect you to still be interested, but do you think there might be a chance. . ." He let his words trail off as a sudden bout of nervousness set in.

"What are you saying?" she asked, trying not to read too much into his words. For all she knew, he might just be asking her to return the items he'd left in her apartment after he'd broken up with her.

"I've missed you."

He'd said it so softly, she was almost convinced she'd imagined it. But the look in his eyes was one of pure desperation, so she knew she hadn't misheard. "I've missed you, too."

Relief washed over him and it was at that moment he realized that he'd been holding his breath. "I know we can't just pick up where we left off, but is there any chance we can start over?"

Reaching out a hand, she cupped his jaw. The coarse hairs of his beard tickled against her palm, but it wasn't an unpleasant sensation. "You're keeping the beard, right?"

Grabbing her hips, he pulled her closer to him. "I was thinking about cutting the hair, but if you like the beard, then it can. . ."

Whatever he had been about to say was lost as she leaned in and silenced him with a kiss. It had been far too long since she'd felt his lips moving against hers and she was tired of talking. Anything else that needed to be discussed could wait until later because right now the best birthday present she could've ever imagined was holding her in his arms.

**Author's Note:**

> _Happy Birthday my dear, sweet Anika!!!  For those of you who don't know her, she goes by avengerofyourheart on here and she's an amazing writer and a very good friend of mine!  If you haven't read her stories, I highly recommend you go check out her works!  Now, back to the story. . .  I hope you all enjoyed it!  I love any opportunity I have to write Bearded!Steve these days and I've been planning a story based on this Adele song for ages.  I'm just glad Infinity War finally filled in the missing pieces of my plot. . .the only good thing it did. . .am I right??  Do you think that she and Steve have a chance to make things work?  Did you enjoy Wong's cameo?  He was invited, if you remember!  I look forward to your comments!_


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